Greenpeace Vessel Is Boarded By Russian Coast Guard

Greenpeace reports that its vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, has been boarded by the Russian Coast Guard after a protest against oil and gas drilling in the Russian Arctic.

The crew of the vessel tweeted throughout the drama. A tweet by Greenpeace HQ indicated that everyone was safe but that the crew was not "in control of the ship at this point."

Greenpeace says that the vessel is in international waters in the Barents Sea. It said the confrontation began yesterday, when the Russian Coast Guard arrested two Greenpeace activists who had climbed aboard a drilling platform that belongs to Gazprom, the state oil company.

During the initial protest the Coast Guard fired 11 warning shots across the bow of the Arctic Sunrise.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed that the border guards had fired warning shots "due to the genuine threat to the security of the Russian oil and gas complex, and failure to obey a lawful order to stop illegal activity."